Trust Me
by mockingjayfelicis
Summary: Oneshot. Finnick's nephew, Max, is badly beaten up by homophobic bullies and frightened of his father's brutal strength. Following an emotional heart-to-heart with Finnick, a terrified Max confides in him that he is gay.


**AN: This is a oneshot where Finnick has a heart-to-heart with his nephew and he confides in Finnick that he's gay. I wrote this because I really love stories where a younger male looks up to an older male and sees him as a role model type figure. I understand that some people will be against this kind of thing, but that's not my problem. If you don't like it, don't read it, it's as simple as that. Please leave a review, I'd love to hear your feedback!**

Finnick knocked on the door of his older brother Cabe's seaside cottage that he shared with his wife Pippa, their son Max and their daughter Rosie, a carefully wrapped birthday present under his arm. Cabe opened the door and smiled at Finnick.

"Happy birthday, bro!" grinned Finnick.

The two brothers shared a hug and entered the cottage, away from the chilly evening air outside. It was Cabe's birthday, and he had invited Finnick and their parents round for dinner. Finnick offered his gift to his brother and Cabe expressed his thanks. He greeted Pippa, his sister-in-law, with a kiss on both cheeks, before his six-year-old niece, Rosie, jumped up from the couch and bounded towards him, a gleeful look on her face.

"Uncle Finnick!" she exclaimed.

Finnick held his arms out to catch her and Rosie happily ran into them.

"There's my favourite niece!"

He picked Rosie up and spun her around while she giggled and squealed, which couldn't help but make Cabe and Pippa smile.

"Uncle Finnick, I'm your _only _niece," Rosie reminded him as Finnick stopped spinning her and rested her small, light body on his hip.

"Well, you're also my favourite," said Finnick, placing a kiss on Rosie's nose. He scanned the room for his nephew. "Where's Max?"

"Upstairs in his room," answered Cabe. "He hardly ever comes out of there anymore."

"Cut him some slack. He's been having a rough time at school lately," said Pippa, walking into the kitchen to check on the cooking meal.

Finnick turned to his brother with a concerned expression.

"What's wrong?"

"Ah, nothing," Cabe lifted his hand as though it was no big deal. "Just your standard playground teasing, that's all."

"He cries all the time," said Rosie. "I can hear him through the wall when I'm playing in my room. I knock on his door and ask him what's wrong but he just tells me to go away."

Finnick's brow furrowed in confusion. What was happening at school that made Max want to come home and cry?

"Enough, I don't want to hear any more about it," said Cabe in a firm tone. "We're going to enjoy this dinner and we're not going to let a snivelling little boy ruin our night."

Finnick was slightly taken aback about his brother's reaction to Max's teasing, but now was not the time to question it. Shortly after he arrived, their parents did, and Pippa started dishing up home-made lasagne for the adults and Max, and fish sticks, French fries and peas for Rosie.

"This looks delicious, honey," said Cabe, kissing his wife on the cheek and taking the plates over to the dining room table, two at a time.

"Where's Max?" asked Finnick's mother.

Noticing that her son was absent, Pippa called up the staircase.

"Max, sweetheart, dinner's ready!"

Max didn't come downstairs, or even open his bedroom door. He simply shouted his reply.

"I'm not hungry!"

Cabe sighed.

"Leave him, Pippa. If he wants to be difficult, then let him. Your food's going to get cold."

Pippa reluctantly took her place at the table and they began to eat. Finnick cut up Rosie's fish sticks for her and let her try a tiny sip of his beer, with Pippa's permission. Everyone talked about what they had been up to recently, how their day had been, what they were planning on doing at the weekend, but really, all Finnick could think about was Max. At the tender age of 14 – the same age Finnick was when he was reaped to take part in the Games – he knew that life wouldn't exactly be plain sailing for Max right now. He thought back to his teenage years, with the increase in school work and all the pressure it put on him, his friends trying to persuade him to smoke and steal things, and not to mention the girls. Finding himself looking at girls' breasts instead of their faces, stashing magazines with dirty pictures inside under his bed so that his mother wouldn't notice them... it was fair to say that being a teenager was the worst stage of Finnick's life, and it was obvious that Max felt the same way, too.

At the end of the meal, Pippa lit the candles on the birthday cake that she baked and decorated for Cabe herself. Everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' and applauded when Cabe blew out the candles. Pippa cut the cake into slices and started handing them out to everyone around the table. It was double chocolate – Max's favourite. After Finnick had eaten his slice, he retrieved a clean fork and a fresh plate and scooped another slice onto it.

"Two slices, you greedy pig?" Finnick's father joked.

Finnick smirked. "It's not for me, Dad, it's for Max."

Despite Caleb's protestations, Finnick climbed the stairs, cake in hand, and knocked on Max's closed bedroom door.

"Who is it?" came Max's voice from the other side.

"It's Finnick. I brought you some birthday cake. It's your favourite."

"Double chocolate?"

"You betcha."

Max didn't refer to Finnick as 'Uncle Finnick' since they were so close in age. He was more like a cousin to Max rather than an uncle, really. After a brief moment of silence, Max opened his bedroom door, and then wandered back to his original position, sitting against the side of his bed. He ducked his head and refused to look at Finnick.

Finnick closed the door and sat on the floor beside his nephew, against the side of the bed. He handed the plate over to him.

"Thanks," Max mumbled, tucking into the cake, still keeping his head down and eyes averted from Finnick.

"No problem," said Finnick. "I thought you'd be hungry after missing dinner."

Max didn't say anything, but instead, finished the cake in silence and laid the plate down to the side.

"So... what's up?" Finnick asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well... your mum said you barely ever come out of here anymore. And Rosie told me that she hears you crying a lot."

Max's eyes didn't move from the floor.

"Max," said Finnick softly. "Look at me."

"No."

"Why not?"

"I can't."

"Why not?" repeated Finnick.

Max slowly lifted his head and turned towards Finnick. Finnick's mouth opened in shock when he saw that his nephew had a black eye. Almost the entire right side of his face had been beaten black and blue.

"Max, what... who did this to you?"

Max returned to looking at the floor.

"I can't tell you. You'll tell my dad."

"No, of course I won't," Finnick placed his hand on his nephew's shoulder. "Buddy, anything that you say to me stays between us, okay? I promise."

Max took a deep breath.

"Some guys at school did it."

"Why?"

Max bit his lip. Finnick could see tears forming in his eyes. He shook his head.

"You'll hate me, Finnick. You'll hate me if I tell you."

"Max, I could never hate you! We're family, and I love you. And... and I just want to make sure you're okay. Trust me."

Max's body began to shudder as the tears escaped from his eyes.

"Come here, buddy..."

Finnick enclosed Max in a tight hug, and Max started crying hysterically onto his uncle's shoulder for a good ten minutes. Finnick didn't make any attempt to leave or move, even when he started getting pins and needles in his foot. His nephew needed him.

Eventually Max began to calm down. Finnick made sure that Max was the one to pull away from the hug first.

"You can tell me, Max," he said, his worry and pain clearly visible on his face.

"I had this... this thing that I told my friend Em. I... I thought I could trust her. I thought she'd understand. But she was disgusted," Max screwed up his face and began rocking back and forth. "I asked her to keep it a secret. I only told her because I had to tell... I had to tell _someone_. It was eating away inside me, it wouldn't leave me alone, so I had to tell her..." Max's voice reduced to a whisper and more tears started running down his cheeks. "But she told everyone. She told everyone and then this," he pointed to his black eye. "Happened while I was walking home from school."

Finnick leaned forward and looked at his nephew in the eyes.

"What did you tell her?"

It took a few seconds for Max to reply. He kept opening his mouth, as though he was psyching himself up to answer but his fear got the better of him at the last second. Finally he whispered it with his eyes closed.

"I told her that I'm gay."

His head collapsed into his hands and he broke down in cries again. Finnick started rubbing Max's back. This was definitely a surprise. He hadn't seen this coming at all. But he wasn't shocked. He wasn't angry or revolted or repulsed. Max was still Max. The nephew he'd always loved and always would love, no matter what. It was then that Finnick made the decision to stand by Max, whatever the consequences.

Suddenly, Max sat up and grabbed Finnick's arm. He shook his tear-stained face.

"Please don't tell my dad, Finnick, please don't tell my dad... he'll kill me!"

"Hey, hey!"

Finnick held Max's face securely but gently in his hands. He spoke quietly and calmly.

"I'm not going to tell your dad, your mum, or anyone else what you've just told me, okay, Max? I promise you I'll keep quiet, until you're ready to tell people yourself."

Max nodded and sniffed. He was grateful for his uncle's kind words. He was expecting Finnick to tell him that he was just confused, that he was just a little boy who didn't know what he wanted, that he'd meet a nice girl soon enough and he'd marry her and this whole gay phase will have been forgotten.

"That might be in two years, that might be in twenty years, it doesn't matter," Finnick continued. "As long as you are happy and safe, that is all I want. You're still my nephew, and I love you and your sister whether you're gay or straight. And those assholes out there who did this to you deserve to have their necks broken, because they'll never be half the man you'll be."

A small smile stretched across Max's face.

"Thanks, Finnick."

"No problem," Finnick smiled back. "You want to come downstairs? I know Grandma and Grandpa really want to see you."

Max nodded and stood up. Finnick wrapped his arm around his nephew's shoulder as they joined the rest of their family.


End file.
